Contact: Freddie New, 0207 226 6686, info@parthenonuk.com

Embargo: Immediate 

MEDIA STATEMENT FROM THE BRITISH COMMITTEE FOR THE RESTITUTION OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES.

Marbles Committee respond to British Museum "never"

Professor Anthony Snodgrass, Chairman of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, has written to the Director of the British Museum about his statement that says the Marbles “will never return to Athens” and his offer of a “Virtual Reality” display of the Parthenon. A copy of the letter is attached. The letter also calls on the Trustees of the British Museum to pursue their discussions with the Greeks on this issue under an agreed and open agenda and with a sense of urgency.

 ENDS

Notes to Editors to follow:

Notes to Editors:

  1. DCMS recommendation received by the British Committee. Permanent Under Secretary of State has “emphasised how keen I am to encourage the Director and Trustees of the British Museum to continue their discussions with Greece.” (Source: Permanent Under Secretary’s letter to Professor Snodgrass, dated 11th December 2002)

 

  1. Neil MacGregor’s original position after initial meeting with Professor Anthony Snodgrass, 01/11/02: “I was delighted to have a chance to meet you and to be able to discuss the heart of the question – and our divergent views of the best answer to it…I hope we shall have further occasion to meet and to talk in such friendly circumstances.” (Quotation from letter written by Neil MacGregor to Professor Snodgrass, dated 01/11/02)

 

  1. News Release from Professor E. Venizelos, Greek Minister of Culture: “Mr. MacGregor’s approach is out of step with the statements and the letters on the subject of the Parthenon Marbles addressed to the Greek Government by the British Prime Minister, the British Minister of Culture as well as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the British Museum. After what Mr. MacGregor said using such intemperate language, I take this opportunity to invite him to come to Athens for a visit to the Parthenon at the Acropolis. I feel certain this will help him discover the value of measure in all things.” (Embassy of Greece, 24th February 2003)

 

   4. The position of the British public at the time of the latest MORI poll on the Parthenon Marbles. The poll shows that a total of 56% would support the return of the Parthenon Marbles if at least one of the conditions below were met. Only 7% say that Britain should keep them, faced with this range of conditions. The remaining 37% are undecided. This means the total proportion of people who would support the return of the Marbles - in these circumstances - exceeds the number who still support them being kept in Britain by a ratio of 8 to 1. The conditions were:

 

1        If the Marbles were given to Greece on a long term loan but Britain would still own them

2        If the Marbles were given to Greece on a long term loan but Britain would continue to own them and have joint care of the Marbles

3        If a new Acropolis Museum were built in Athens to house the Marbles

4        If Greece would provide the British Museum with other exhibits

5        If Greece agrees to waive all other claims for the return of material.

 

The Greek Government has already expressly offered to meet each one of these conditions.

(Source: MORI, October 2002)

 

 

 

Dr. Neil MacGregor

Director, The British Museum,

Great Russell Street

London

WC1B 3DG

 

27th February, 2003

 

Dear Dr. MacGregor,

 

After discussing with my colleagues of the British Committee the statements attributed to you in the Sunday Telegraph of 23rd February, I write to express equal astonishment first at your apparent belief that the proposal for a virtual reality reconstruction could ever be acceptable, either to the Greek authorities or to the majority of the British population who clearly wish to see the marbles reunified; and secondly at the idea that the Trustees of the British Museum should endorse (if indeed they have done so) your adoption of the word ‘never’ in relation to the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

You are on record as having welcomed the opening of ‘substantive discussions of the merits and details of the issues’ with the Greek authorities. On their side, the Greeks have made clear their view that the context within which they would wish these discussions to take place would involve proposals for reuniting the actual (rather than the ‘virtual’) Marbles, on an agreed basis. They have asked Professor Pandermalis as Director of the Organisation for Construction of the New Acropolis Museum, to represent their side. You, as Director, are now charged with undertaking these discussions on behalf of your Trustees. Since, however, the British Government has itself expressed support for these ‘substantive discussions’, we should hope that the Trustees would, in line with current public sector ‘good governance’ procedures, have regard to all considerations appropriate to these circumstances, in setting you guidelines for the discussions.

 In any event, it is not possible to hold substantive discussions without an agreed agenda. We hope and expect that such an agenda can be agreed, for the British side, by you and your Trustees, before specific proposals are discussed with the Greeks.

You complain that ‘there is not very much middle ground between the two sides’, a circumstance which you imply is the result of Greek actions. Yet, whereas the radically new offers made by the Greek Government have opened up exactly the possibility of meeting on fresh middle ground, your own proposal does not offer any such possibility.     

This is not the place to take issue with your opinion as to what constitutes a ‘very happy result of history’, nor with your analogy of ‘the visual culture of Italy and Holland, which is also spread around the world’, presumably implying an equivalence, in terms of artistic integrity and museum presentation, between naturally portable paintings and integral architectural members. The argument that the British Museum exists to present the cultural achievements of the whole world is more acceptable; but this aim is hardly specific to the Parthenon Marbles which, under the Greek government’s offer of reciprocal loans, could be replaced by Greek antiquities of comparable quality. 

The representatives of our own Government have, as you know, expressed the wish that ‘discussions with Greece’ should continue; your own view is that this obviates any need for further discussion with the British Committee and we have accepted this - but on the clear understanding that earnest and serious talk with all relevant Greek authorities, including Professor Pandermalis, would ensue. We very much hope that such discussions can now be restored and pursued with urgency, under an agreed agenda.

In view of the importance of this issue, I am sending copies of this letter to Ministers at the DCMS, to the Trustees of the British Museum and the media.

 Yours sincerely,

 

Anthony Snodgrass